§33.
3.
Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων μέγας Ἀρταξέρξης Ὑστάνει Ἑλλησπόντου ὑπάρχῳ χαίρειν.
Artaxerxes, the great king of kings, to Hystanes, governor of the Hellespont, greeting.
Ἱπποκράτους ἰητροῦ Κῴου ἀπὸ Ἀσκληπιοῦ γεγονότος καὶ ἐς ἐμὲ κλέος ἀφῖκται τῆς τέχνης.
The fame of the art of Hippocrates, the physician of Cos, who is descended from Asclepius, has reached even me.
Δὸς οὖν αὐτῷ χρυσὸν ὁκόσον ἂν βούληται, καὶ τὰ ἄλλα χύδην ὧν σπανίζει, καὶ πέμπε ἐς ἡμέας.
Therefore give him as much gold as he wishes, and abundantly other things of which he is in need, and send him to us.
Ἔσται γὰρ ἰσότιμος Περσέων τοῖς ἀρίστοις· καὶ εἴ τις ἐστὶν ἄλλος ἀνὴρ κατ’ Εὐρώπην ἀγαθὸς, φίλον οἴκῳ βασιλέως τίθεσο μὴ φειδόμενος ὄλβου· ἄνδρας γὰρ εὑρεῖν δυναμένους τι κατὰ συμβουλίην οὐ ῥηΐδιον.
For he shall be equal in honor to the noblest of the Persians; and if there is any other excellent man in Europe, make him a friend to the house of the king, not sparing wealth; for it is not easy to find men who are able to achieve anything by their counsel.
Ἔῤῥωσο.
Farewell.
§44.
4.
Ὑστάνης ὕπαρχος Ἑλλησπόντου Ἱπποκράτει Ἀσκληπιαδῶν ὄντι ἀπογόνῳ χαίρειν.
Hystanes, governor of the Hellespont, to Hippocrates, descendant of the Asclepiads, greeting.
Βασιλεὺς μέγας Ἀρταξέρξης σοῦ χρῄζων ἔπεμψε πρὸς ἡμέας ὑπάρχους, κελεύων σοι ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα χύδην ὧν σπανίζεις καὶ ὅσα βούλει διδόναι, καὶ πέμπειν πρὸς ἑωυτὸν ἐν τάχει· ἔσεσθαι γὰρ Περσέων τοῖς ἀρίστοις ἰσότιμον.
The great king Artaxerxes, in need of you, has sent word to us governors, ordering that silver and gold and other things of which you are in need and as much as you wish be given to you, and that you be sent to him in haste; for you shall be equal in honor to the noblest of the Persians.
Σὺ οὖν παραγίνου ξυντόμως.
Therefore come without delay.
Ἔῤῥωσο.
Farewell.
§55.
5.
Ἱπποκράτης ἰητρὸς Ὑστάνει Ἑλλησπόντου ὑπάρχῳ χαίρειν.
Hippocrates the physician to Hystanes, governor of the Hellespont, greeting.
Πρὸς τὴν ἐπιστολὴν, ἣν ἔπεμψας φάμενος παρὰ βασιλέως ἀφῖχθαι, πέμπε βασιλεῖ ἃ λέγω γράφων ὅτι τάχος, ὅτι καὶ προσφορῇ καὶ ἐσθῆτι καὶ οἰκήσει καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ἐς βίον ἀρκεούσῃ οὐσίῃ χρεόμεθα.
In reply to the letter which you sent, saying that it came from the king, send to the king what I say, writing it as quickly as possible: that we have sufficient food and clothing and housing and all resources necessary for life.
Περσέων δὲ ὄλβου οὔ μοι θέμις ἐπαύρασθαι, οὐδὲ βαρβάρους ἄνδρας νούσων παύειν, ἐχθροὺς ὑπάρχοντας Ἑλλήνων.
But it is not lawful for me to enjoy the wealth of the Persians, nor to free from disease barbarian men who are enemies of the Greeks.
Ἔῤῥωσο.
Farewell.
§66.
6.
Ἱπποκράτης Δημητρίῳ ὑγιαίνειν.
Hippocrates to Demetrius, wishing health.
Βασιλεὺς Περσέων ἡμέας μεταπέμπεται, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι. λόγος ἐμοὶ σοφίης χρυσοῦ πλέον δύναται.
The king of the Persians is sending for us, not knowing that for me, the voice of wisdom has more power than gold.
Ἔῤῥωσο.
Farewell.
§77.
7.
Βασιλεῖ βασιλέων τῷ ἐμῷ μεγάλῳ δεσπότῃ Ἀρταξέρξῃ Ὑστάνης Ἑλλησπόντου ὕπαρχος χαίρειν.
To the king of kings, my great master Artaxerxes, Hystanes, governor of the Hellespont, greeting.
Ἣν ἔπεμψας ἐπιστολὴν, λέγων πέμψαι Ἱπποκράτει ἰητρῷ Κῴῳ ἀπὸ Ἀσκληπιαδῶν γεγονότι, ἔπεμψα, καὶ παρ’ αὐτοῦ δὲ ἐκομισάμην ἀπόκρισιν, ἣν γράψας ἔδωκε καὶ ἐκέλευσεν ἐς σὸν οἶκον πέμπειν.
The letter which you sent, instructing me to send it to Hippocrates, the physician of Cos, descended from the Asclepiads, I have sent; and I have received from him the reply which he wrote and gave to me, bidding me to send it to your house.
Φέροντα οὖν ἀπέστειλά σοι φάναι Γυμνάσβην Διευτύχη.
Therefore I have dispatched to you Gymnasbes, called Dieutyches, to carry it.
Ἔῤῥωσο.
Farewell.
§88.
8.
Βασιλεὺς βασιλέων μέγας Ἀρταξέρξης Κῴοις τάδε λέγει.
Artaxerxes, the great king of kings, speaks thus to the Coans.
Δότε ἐμοῖς ἀγγέλοις Ἱπποκράτην ἰητρὸν κακοὺς τρόπους ἔχοντα καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ καὶ εἰς Πέρσας ἀσελγαίνοντα.
Deliver to my messengers Hippocrates the physician, who is of evil character and behaves insolently toward me and toward the Persians.
Εἰ δὲ μὴ, γνώσεσθε καὶ τῆς πρώτης ἁμαρτίας τιμωρίην τίσοντες· δηϊώσας γὰρ τὴν ὑμετέρην πόλιν καὶ νῆσον κατασπάσας εἰς πέλαγος, ποιήσω μηδὲ ἐς τὸν ἐπίλοιπον χρόνον γνῶναι, εἰ ἦν ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ τόπῳ νῆσος ἢ πόλις Κῶ.
If you do not, you shall know that you will also pay the penalty for your first error; for I will lay waste to your city and drag your island down into the deep sea, and make it so that even in future times no one will know if there ever was an island or city of Cos in this place.
§99.
9.
Ἀπόκρισις Κῴων.
Reply of the Coans.
Ἔδοξε τῷ δάμῳ ἀποκρίνασθαι τοῖς παρὰ Ἀρταξέρξου ἀγγέλοις, ὅτι Κῷοι οὐδὲν ἀνάξιον πράξουσιν οὔτε Μέροπος οὔτε Ἡρακλέους οὔτε Ἀσκληπιοῦ, ὧν ἕνεκεν πάντες οἱ πολῖται οὐ δώσουσιν Ἱπποκράτεα, οὐδὲ εἰ μέλλοιεν ὀλέθρῳ τῷ κακίστῳ ἀπολεῖσθαι.
It seemed good to the people to reply to the messengers from Artaxerxes, that the Coans will do nothing unworthy of Merops, nor of Heracles, nor of Asclepius, because of whom all the citizens will not deliver Hippocrates, not even if they were about to perish by the worst destruction.
Καὶ γὰρ Δαρείου καὶ Ξέρξου ἀπὸ πατέρων ἐπιστολὰς γραψάντων γαῖαν καὶ ὕδωρ αἰτεόντων, οὐκ ἔδωκεν ὁ δᾶμος, ὁρέων αὐτοὺς ὁμοίως τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις θνητοὺς ἐόντας· καὶ νῦν τὰν αὐτὰν ἀπόκρισιν διδοῖ.
For indeed, when Darius and Xerxes sent letters on the authority of their ancestors demanding earth and water, the people did not give them, seeing that they were mortal like all other men; and now they give the very same reply.
Ἀπὸ Κῴων ἀναχωρεῖτε, ὅτι Ἱπποκράτην οὐ δίδοντι ἔκδοτον.
Depart from Cos, for they do not deliver Hippocrates to be surrendered.
Ἀπαγγέλλετε οὖν αὐτῷ οἱ ἄγγελοι ὅτι οὐδ’ οἱ θεοὶ ἀμελήσουσιν ἁμέων.
Therefore, messengers, report to him that not even the gods will neglect us.